


A Short Story

by sayloronthisship



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-07
Packaged: 2017-12-31 20:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayloronthisship/pseuds/sayloronthisship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“James!” James’ eyes flew open to see a small figure bearing down on the edge of his bed.<br/>“Get up! Get up! It’s snowing! Like Dad said it would!” The figure’s voice had raised an octave by the last sentence, but this didn’t prevent James from remembering how long he and his brother, Ethan, had been alone. Looking over to his clock, James calculated how long it had been since his parents had disappeared. 6 days, 13 hours, and 24 minutes. Wait. 25 minutes</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Short Story

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I had to write for a class. But I got lots of positive feedback and a few death threats, so I figure I might as well share it here.

“James!” James’ eyes flew open to see a small figure bearing down on the edge of his bed.  
“Get up! Get up! It’s snowing! Like Dad said it would!” The figure’s voice had raised an octave by the last sentence, but this didn’t prevent James from remembering how long he and his brother, Ethan, had been alone. Looking over to his clock, James calculated how long it had been since his parents had disappeared. 6 days, 13 hours, and 24 minutes. Wait. 25 minutes. Sitting up and flicking the light switch, he saw his brother’s face, lit up and smiling.  
“Look! James! It finally snowed!” Ethan jumped off the bed, bounding around James’ room with six-year-old energy. They didn’t get a lot of snow in North Carolina, so when they did, it was a big deal.  
“Okay, Ethan! Calm down. Jeez. Go get dressed. I’ll take you over to Benj’s house. You can play there.” Ethan turned around, visibly confused by James’s words.  
“But. You promised! You said when it snowed you’d play with me!” Ethan’s face dropped.  
“I did. And I’m sorry. But Mom and Dad aren’t back yet. I have to go find them. I’m worried that Mr. Rotille might have hurt them.” Or that they’ve hurt themselves, James grumbled to himself. James walked towards his brother, arms outstretched. Ethan jumped up, and James curled his arms around him. Shy and timid Ethan. Not. His brother was normally loud and happy to go play with his best friend, Benj.  
“Mom said Mr. Rotille was just a nice guy who didn’t like to be bothered. And Dad promised they’d be back soon. So you should stay here with me.” Ethan looked his brother straight in eye, with more conviction than James could have imagined could come from a six-year-old.  
“I can’t, buddy. I want to. But they said they’d be home soon a week ago. And you know how Mom tells you that carrots are yummy? And how that’s not really true? Mom can tell little non-truths. That’s okay. And sometimes she does it to protect us. Scary, mean, rude Mr. Rotille is one of those exceptions. He’s not as nice as Mom makes him out to be. He does mean things to good people. But let’s keep that our secret, okay?” Ethan nodded his head furiously, squirming to get out of James’ grip. After Ethan rushed out of the room, James leaned against the doorframe. How was he going to protect his brother from crooks, thieves, and drug dealers if his parents were those themselves?

After dropping his brother off at Benj’s house and promising he’d be back before dark, James caught the bus heading towards 94th street. Settling in for a long ride, he pulled out the paper that his parents had failed at hiding from his sight. Unfurling the paper ball that had formed, he read the lines.  
“Rotille’s has been moved. All members of inner circle must show-up tThree tasks must be completed before. Get off at 92nd street. Tasks will begin. Destroy this paper. We will know you. ”

Inner circle? Three tasks? This sounded ridiculous to the normally straightforward and literal James. It sounded ominous though, and he wondered what his parents had gotten their family into. After what felt like the longest bus ride of his life, James stepped off the bus. The bus sped away, and James was left alone. He began to walk towards the only structurally sound looking building in the area. It was a desolate, dark, terrifying, and lonely place. He couldn’t believe his parents would ever come near a place like this. Suddenly, shots rang out. Someone or ones were shooting at him! Feeling a little bit ridiculous, he ran quickly towards the large mountains of debris, attempting to shield himself from the onslaught of bullets. As he cowered behind the debris, he heard bullets ricochet off of every surface, creating a noise that was like nails being dragged on a chalkboard, desks being scratched, and a banshee screaming all at once. Suddenly the shots stopped. A voice rang out.  
“Task One. Complete.”

The second task was a little less complicated. He just jumped from a hoop to another hoop and back. Over a bottomless pit. 5 feet across. But again the voice rang out,  
“Task Two. Complete.”

The third task was the hardest task he could ever imagine. It was like every teacher, every person, everything ever had joined together to give him the most complicated job ever. He had to pull this door open. But it was stuck. It finally slid open, and the voice rang out once more,  
“Task Three. Complete.” But the voice wasn’t alone this time. His mother’s voice rang through the building.  
“James! You can’t be here. Run. Now!” Her voice was shrill, and painful to hear.  
“No. It’s fine. Let him in. He’s completed the tasks.” A deep voice boomed from somewhere inside the building. Just as James had expected, Mr. Rotille stepped out of the shadows. The sudden realization of the fact that James had practically walked into a trap hit him in the chest like an icy snowball full of rocks and pinecones. It was like a ton of bricks had fallen from Mars just to fall on him. Over and over again.  
“James. How nice to see you again.” Mr. Rotille’s voice was cold. James wanted nothing more than to run. But he stuck with the realization he had while he was hiding from the bullets, while he was jumping over a bottomless pit, and while he was pulling that door open. This was the last time he would see his parents. He was going to tell them to go die in a hole, and that he would protect Ethan. They didn’t need them.  
“I’m sorry to bother you Mr. Rotille,” James struggled to keep his voice calm, “But I need to tell my parents something. And then I’ll leave.”  
“Why would you leave? I, I could use you.” Mr. Rotille stepped towards James.  
“Young. A possible looker. Eh, it couldn’t hurt. Police officers go after children less. What do you say James? I’m a neighbor. And a friend. Wouldn’t you do anything for your friends?” Mr. Rotille laughed. Suddenly, he was next to James, gripping his shoulders.  
“No sir. I don’t know what you’re running here, but I don’t want to be a part of it. I’ll just go.” James stepped away from Mr. Rotille and towards the door he had entered from.  
“No. Go tell your parents what you came here to say. But then you get out. You tell anyone what you’re about to see, and I’ll kill you personally. This is your only chance to stay on my good side.” Mr. Rotille stared at James almost looking through them. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around James.  
“James! You’re here. You shouldn’t be here. Go. Please. Take care of Ethan.” His mother’s voice was frail, but sure. It disgusted James to even think that this woman could even be his mother. She smelled of cigarette smoke and had what looked like injection sites covering her arms.  
“Let go of me.” His voice was cool. His mother stepped away.  
“Excuse me?” She seemed taken aback.  
“I don’t care what you think anymore, or what Dad thinks I don’t ever want to see you or him again. Tell him that. And if either of you tries to go near Ethan, I’ll report you both to Social Services. I’m almost 19. I can take care of him without either of you. So stay away.” James turned and walked out of the door.

As the bus pulled up at the stop nearest to Benj’s house, James realized what he had just done. James had taken full custody of his six-year-old brother. He couldn’t do that. He wasn’t even 19. He ran back to his own house. Packing a bag and grabbing money from his parents’ and his room, he also grabbed a pen and a paper. Sitting down at the kitchen table for the last time, he wrote out a letter to Benj’s mother and a letter to Ethan. He asked Benj’s mother to take care of Ethan, and he explained that Ethan was not to be in contact with their parents ever again. He folded up the letter he had written to Ethan, stood up, and walked out of the house for the final time, stuffing both letters into his jacket pocket. Walking back to Benj’s house, he tried not to think of what he was doing. He walked up the stone steps and placed the letter to Benj’s mother on the step. Finally, he read the letter to Ethan one final time.  
“We can play in the snow when I get back.”  
But James knew he wouldn’t be coming back.


	2. Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He walked up the stone steps and placed the letter to Benj’s mother on the step. Finally, he read the letter to Ethan one final time.   
> “We can play in the snow when I get back.”   
> But James knew he wouldn’t be coming back. Suddenly a blur ran out the door. Before James could process what was happening, a figure had locked themselves around his legs. James looked down to see Ethan smiling up at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the death threats got fixed. Here's an alternate ending for those who's feels were shattered.

He walked up the stone steps and placed the letter to Benj’s mother on the step. Finally, he read the letter to Ethan one final time.   
“We can play in the snow when I get back.”   
But James knew he wouldn’t be coming back. Suddenly a blur ran out the door. Before James could process what was happening, a figure had locked themselves around his legs. James looked down to see Ethan smiling up at him.   
“James! We can play in the snow. With Mom and Dad! Where are they?” Ethan looked around expectantly, as if he expected them to appear behind James. It broke James’ heart in to millions of fragments, each wishing that he could protect his brother and change his parents. But he couldn’t.  
“We can go play in the snow. About Mom and Dad, though. They couldn’t come back. They, um, left. I’m going to be a bit more in charge now.” James’ watched Ethan’s face fall.  
“But. Why can’t they come back? Don’t they love us?” Ethan looked close to tears.  
“Of course they love us. Who couldn’t love you?” James ruffled his brother’s hair, “But they did some bad things. So you get to hang out with me now. And if you ever see Mom or Dad, let me know, okay? They know people that could hurt you, and they might not be able to stop them.” James refrained from mentioning that fact their parents were the ones that would be hurting Ethan.   
“Okay. I guess. Can we go play in the snow now?” Ethan’s face lit up again, warming James’ heart.   
“Of course.”

 

20 YEARS LATER

James and his family were going over to Ethan’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Ethan was recently married, and his husband had insisted on Thanksgiving at their place this year. As James ushered his kids out the door, he gave a quick kiss to his wife, promising that he’d be at the car in two minutes. James opened the door to the coat closet and noticed an old windbreaker hanging in the corner. Pulling it out, he remembered that day twenty years ago. James pulled the jacket on, laughing at the fact that it still fit him pretty well. It was like a dream as the memory rushed over him like waves at the beach, wind on the tarmac at the airport, and rain drops during a storm. Placing his hands into his pockets, his left rubbed against a thin, folded object. James grabbed the object and pulled it out of his pocket. Unfolding the object, he realized it was an old piece of paper. On it read,  
“We can play in the snow when I get back.” He had never shown that paper to anyone, but looking back on that day, James realized he had made the right decision.


End file.
